The Insiders: We needle the Widow Larcom about her Quilter’s Guild appearance

It’s time to harness the necessary 1.21 gigawatts of electricity and punch the year 1843 into the dashboard of ye olde DeLorean so we can all journey back a few dozen decades. What, you’re not up for a road trip? Fine, you’ll have to settle for a taste of 1843 through the eyes of the “Widow Larcom,” a character to be played by historical re-enactor Kate Carney when she visits the Capital Quilters Guild’s free event at Havenwood-Heritage Heights (33 Christian Ave.) tonight at 6:30.

But it’s your loss – we were going to sing “99 Bottles of Beer” the whole way.

In anticipation of Carney’s appearance, we asked her to shed some light on things, including where the character came from and where you can get a sweet new hat for your dome.

You’ll be in the guise of the “Widow Larcom,” a Lowell Mills boardinghouse keeper, when you appear in Concord. Was this character based on a real person in history? Mrs. Lois Larcom was the mother of the poet Lucy Larcom, and this is indeed her story. She was the wife of a sea captain; when he died she moved to Lowell (Mass.) with her three youngest daughters, and took a job as a boardinghouse keeper.

If you were around 100 years from now, which contemporary, real-life women would you be playing? Hillary Clinton, Sally Ride and Indira Ghandi.

Where do you get a good bonnet these days? At the Old Sturbridge Village store and in several catalogs for historical re-enactors.

For those looking to satisfy their poetry jones, visit Gibson’s Bookstore tonight for an appearance by Charles Simic, former Poet Laureate, as he presents his new book, New and Selected Poems: 1962-2012. For more information, call 224-0562.